


Strangers

by starryeyedboxes



Category: Septiplier - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 03:45:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4988992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryeyedboxes/pseuds/starryeyedboxes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack runs into his ex-boyfriend at the coffee shop.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strangers

**Author's Note:**

> Comfort.  
> Originally Posted: May 04, 2015

A young Irishman walked down the Los Angeles streets, a grey hat blocking the sun from his eyes. Brilliant blue eyes looked forward, already accustomed to avoiding catching someone’s gaze as they also walked down the busy sidewalk. He stepped into a small cafe, one that he was utterly familiar with, and headed towards the cashier.

“Hey, Jack!” The barista chirped as she instantly recognized him. “Glad to see you! It’s been a while!”

“Yeah, it has,” he responded with a polite chuckle. “I figured I needed to get out of the house.” He placed his palm on the granite counter and smiled. He nervously hoped that she would not pester him too much. Cindy was her name, and she was definitely known for pressing too far in an oblivious manner.

“Oh, you must be super busy with all the recording, huh?” The woman questioned as she began prepping for his drink. “The usual, right?”

“Yeah, you could say that I guess,” Jack muttered quietly in response to her first question. He averted his gaze and pulled out his phone to check the time. 12:04PM.

“Dear?”

“Hm?” He questioned as he looked back up at Cindy, a little reluctant.

“I asked if you wanted your usual?” She gave a sympathetic look his way and instantly Jack knew what was up. She knew about the breakup. She must have heard about it through mutual friends.

“Oh,” Jack sighed. “Yeah, that would be great.” He pulled out a ten dollar bill from his wallet but Cindy was quick to place her hand up.

“No, don’t worry about it. It’s on the house.” She gave a lovely smile as Jack sighed once more.

He could feel the heavy look of pity from her gaze but he could not pass up a free drink. He kind of deserved a little treat. It had been a month or so since his split with his ex-boyfriend Mark, and he finally braved the world today to get out of the house for once. He drowned himself in his YouTube career making commentary videos and this was his first time out other than to the grocery store or for a few errands.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, don’t worry, babe!” Cindy smiled at him again. This time it was more cheerful. “You drink is done!” As she extended her hand to him to pass on his blended drink, her eyes widened. Jack’s spine tingled as he assumed what her shocked expression was geared towards.

“He just walked in, huh?”

Cindy switched her gaze from behind Jack’s shoulder to his empty eyes. “So sorry, hun. But yeah.”

He froze. Jack loved this coffee shop more than anything and hoped that coming at noon would help negate his path crossing with Mark’s. They used to come here all the time. He never figured that his ex-boyfriend would ever come back, though. Even though he had lived here all of his life, Mark never knew this shop existed until Jack came out and found it himself. In fact, he was the one who introduced it.

He watched the barista wave and nod with a forced smile for a brief moment before finally handing off Jack’s drink. The cold plastic cup almost made his hand feel numb. _What was he going to do?_ He could not say hello. They ended on a bad note. He and Mark had a really idiotic fight one night and he just up and left the apartment and never returned. Jack had moved out here from his hometown in Ireland to be with his half-Korean boyfriend but a year later, he found himself alone in an apartment with too many dark memories.

It was not hard to recall the nights he spent calling Mark’s cell phone, desperately questioning why he had not returned. He would call for hours until his then-boyfriend turned off his phone all together and Jack would lay in the empty bed, crying, listening to the dial-tone lull him to sleep as well as wake him up hours later when he never hung up the phone. So many nights he spent alone while Mark was off doing god-knows-what. He never gave Jack an explanation. He just never returned.

“He didn’t see me right?” Jack asked, snapping back to reality. “Do you think I can dip out?”

Cindy opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it. She watched for a moment before finally responding. “I’m not entirely sure if he saw you. However, he took a seat right next to the door. He’ll definitely see you leaving. I have to make his usual drink as well, though, hun. A few customers are starting to come in.”

Jack panicked. He had no idea what he should do. Should he dash out and retreat home? Maybe he should sit at a table on the other side of the cafe and wait for Mark to leave? Or maybe the Irishman could approach and ask why he never got an explanation?

“Thanks, Cindy. I really appreciate it,” Jack said, deflated. She shot him another apologetic smile before heading off while a second barista began manning the register.

The blue-eyed boy sighed once again and headed straight for the door. He would make sure his ex-boyfriend would see him and see what he would do. Would he even say anything?

Mark looked up from his phone and to Jack’s dismay, locked eyes with him. Jack froze as well as the half-Korean. They stared awkwardly at each other for a few moments.

 _Don’t do anything until he does,_ Jack chanted in his head. _Do not. Do not. Do not._

Mark pursed his lips and sighed. “Jack. Hey.”

“Hey.”

A few moments passed.

“I forgot you loved this place so much, so I can’t say it was funny running into you here,” Mark chuckled.

“Yeah.”

Another pause. Jack’s heart was accelerating, his face flushed red with nervousness. _How is this going to end up?_ His thoughts were racing. _What am I supposed to do?_

“I miss seeing you around. Maybe we could… catch up?”

Mark pushed out the stool next to him and Jack stared at it, wide-eyed. He slid right onto the stool, holding his cold drink as the condensation soaked his fingers. Cindy came over and handed Mark his own drink, tossed Jack a concerned look, and trotted off back behind the counter.

“So…” Jack muttered.

“How have you been? I haven’t heard from you.”

“That’s not my fault,” Jack hissed. Mark sighed and took a sip of his steaming tea, his glasses fogging up slightly. “I’m not the one who-”

“I know,” Mark snapped back. “I get it, okay? I left, I know.”

“Without explanation.”

“Yes, without explanation,” the ex-boyfriend sighed. “Look, Jack. I’m really sorry-”

“I’m sure.” Jack could not help but be feisty. His heart was heavy and his nose tingled from the threat of tears falling. “Sorry enough to apologize right?”

“What? But I just did.” Mark’s cheeks turned slightly pink due to being a tiny bit agitated. “Like, literally, I just did.”

“No,” Jack growled. “I meant a month ago. You know, when you stopped coming home and ignored my calls? Then just never returned? It has been a month since I have heard a single word from you, and you are only apologizing because we ran into each other.” Mark looked away. “If we hadn’t run into each other, you would never have done it, ye bastard.”

The other bit his bottom lip and turned back to his ex-boyfriend, his brown eyes a bit glossy behind his glasses. “Jack, I really mean it when I say I’m sorry. Don’t be like that.”

“You have no right criticizing my actions.” The Irishman’s hand clenched his cold drink. It was warming up rather slowly, but enough time had passed to where it was becoming thinner and the condensation worsened. “Not one.”

Mark groaned and reached down under the table before immediately slamming something back on top of it. A box wrapped in neat, green wrapping paper with a white bow surrounding it stared at Jack. Mark pushed it towards his blue-eyed table companion and huffed.

“I-I got this for you. I came to drink some tea and as I was going to leave, I was supposed to get your usual drink, bring this present with me, and stop off at your house, alright?” The Irishman continued to gaze at the present in front of him, still awe-struck. “I know it doesn’t make up for fucking anything, but, I really am sorry.”

Hands shaking, Jack reached out and undid the bow, then the wrapping, and lifted up the box. Inside contained a few items that shocked him. First, he lifted up a notebook, its edges perfect and unbent.

“What?”

“I-It’s some of my writing. I know that you always wanted to read some but YouTube kind of kept me busy from writing more so I never had anything to show you. This past month, I filled up those pages.” Quickly flipping through the book, he realized that Mark was not lying. Each page was filled, up until the very last one. His heart swelled.

Placing the black notebook down, he looked back into the gift and pulled out another box that was wrapped in the same metallic green paper. When he cleared off the last of the wrapping paper, Jack’s eyes widened.

“This one is so dorky, I know, I know,” Mark muttered from behind his mug that was pulled up to his lips. He almost seemed bashful. “But, I know you were talking about getting an updated one, so…”

A picture of a new graphics card on a box taunted Jack. This brand was very costly and was hard to come by. As far as he knew, it was something you had better luck ordering online than searching for it in-store. Shoving the notebook and the graphics card back into the original box, he fumbled with his drink. He was not sure what to make of this.

“And you think that it’s just going to make everything okay, again?”

“No!” Mark spat. “I know it’s not okay? I even said before you opened it that it wasn’t going to! It’s not even close! But I just wanted to say that I was sorry, alright?”

“And what are you trying to accomplish by saying sorry, ya fuckin’ idiot?” Jack’s eyes stung with tears as he fought back a slight smile. He had to admit to himself that the gift was very thoughtful. It was definitely like the Mark he fell in love with originally. There was no way that he could show he liked the gift, though. Mark was not off the hook that easily.

“I miss you,” Mark muttered, looking away guiltily. “I left for a while, and it was a mistake. The way I handled our argument was very poor and the fact that I gave no reason and just left was immensely foolish.”

“Keep going,” Jack muttered, a small sense of happiness as he listened to the other being sitting at his table ramble about how badly he messed up. “Maybe we’ll talk if I feel like your shit is true.”

“It is!” Mark protested weakly. “No matter what I say is going to make it right, nor do I expect it to. In fact, I would be a little concerned if you just took that without question.” Jack finally had the courage to meet Mark’s gaze once more. What he saw was pure guilt. “But I am so terribly sorry. This is a month late, hell, this was due when we were still together, Jack, but I am trying my best now. And that has to count for something, right?”

Jack pondered for a bit as he took a final sip from his blended drink. He placed the empty cup back on the table, stared at the gifts he was given, and looked at his ex-boyfriend once more.

“Mark, my God, I just want to start a new beginning with you again,” was what came out. It was clear that it shocked Mark and surprisingly, even Jack. He had not expected those words to come out. The Irishman had planned a snide remark among the lines of “too little, too late” and storming off or “it counts for nothing” or something even remotely wittier, but before he knew it, tears began streaming down his face. “Oh, fuckin’ hell.”

Mark grabbed a few tissues at one of the counters and walked back to hand them to Jack. He did not take them and just used his sleeves.

“I got you napkins, don’t use your sleeve, you weirdo.”

“Shut up, I ain’t takin’ them from you,” Jack spat as he looked away, his eyes now puffy. “I don’t need them.” The blue-eyed man was surprised as he watched his ex-boyfriend use them on his eyes instead. He had not noticed he was not the only one crying. The temptation was too heavy and Jack could not resist the joke that came off his tongue. “What a cry baby you are.”

Chuckling slightly as he sniffled, Mark glared. “You cried first, you idiot.”

“I have reason to!” Jack could not help but laugh at the situation. “Look at you! You don’t, ya fool!” They both gave a heartfelt laugh and wiped their damp eyes with sleeves and napkins alike. “Mark, we have a ton of shit to talk about. But before that, you just promise me something if I give you another chance, alright?” He tossed his used tissue at the other hastily. He was already feeling back to his usual self. The self he thought he lost weeks ago.

“Of course,” he quickly responded, surprised that Jack was even considering a second chance.

“You better fuckin’ install that graphics card because I’m not doing it my damn self.”

Mark grabbed Jack’s face and kissed him hard in the middle of a laugh. The Irishman quickly sunk into it like it was the fresh, crisp air in the early morning.

But more importantly, it truly felt like he was home again.


End file.
